


Austin. Before.

by Clementine19



Series: _Joel [1]
Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Ellie and Dina are fine and happy in Jackson, F/M, Fix-It, Hot Dad, Joel's fine, M/M, Spoilers, Tommy's fine, Vignettes, flashback/flashforward, historically heteroflexible Joel, please let knife dad get laid we're begging you
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:41:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25729858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clementine19/pseuds/Clementine19
Summary: Here are five different lenses into life before Jackson, where Joel's halfway aware of what women love about him, and one fix-it lens into his future in Jackson County with an OC named Molly. Ofc she especially likes the thing he's never been confident in.
Series: _Joel [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1866379
Comments: 5
Kudos: 20





	1. Ada - 2012 - Gentle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know the Austin Aquarium didn't technically open until after Outbreak Day, let me have this!
> 
> Sarah's birthday in 2012 is about one year before Outbreak Day. In this universe, Joel got sole custody and hasn't spoken to Sarah's mom (unnamed) since. I'll leave it open as to what happened, unless more detail presents itself in future chapters. 
> 
> Chapters will mostly be a vignette with some explication of how it ended/why and most crucially, what feature of his this particular person loved the most.
> 
> Comments feed me just as this character creates/quenches my thirst~

###  _Austin Aquarium—2012_

Sarah’s squeal of delight when Joel’s acquaintance through work had offered to let them stay past closing and meet the otters echoed in the near-empty lobby.

“G’on,” Joel had urged, mushing her new explorer’s hat onto her tiny head. One of his carpenter buddies was dating a pretty otter biologist, they got to talking, and Joel had outdone himself on this particular birthday. Sure set himself up for next year…

“Now the important thing t’remember is that they look cuddly, but they’re very protective of what’s theirs. See an otter clutching a little clam? That’s dinner, and he won’t much like you trying to pet him when he’s trying to eat! See a little fella splashing along on his tummy? Curious, wayyyy more approachable,” the girl led Sarah by the hand around the top of the tank. Joel leaned into the doorframe to watch, snap a couple of pictures on his phone.

“Every so often our handlers do this sorta thing, but you really pulled out the stops. Rarer that it’s the dad we see thinking things through,” a voice startled him as he watched Sarah carefully lean down and extend her hand to an otter the way she was shown.

“Well, Mom’s not much in the picture,” Joel explains sheepishly. Looking up, he’s started by a dirty blonde with tanned features and a bouncy bob. “I’m Ada, we spoke on the phone,” she introduces herself, extending her hand. Joel’s eyes widen before he remembers himself and shakes it firmly.

They step forward to the railing the audience is usually contained behind, Sarah glowing and smiling up at her dad, more frequently focused on beaming at her new wet (smelly) friends.

“How’d you know Kat?” Ada asks.

“I uh, she’s dating a carpenter friend of mine. We got to talking after leaving the site one night, wasn’t sure what to do this year. First year without her mom at all, so it was always gonna be a big deal, I just wasn’t sure how. Told me ‘bout Kat and the aquarium, and once we’d all met she offered to go above and beyond immediately. Kindest thing,” Joel explains, gesturing at the tank.

“Yeah, that’s her. Hope it’s a good man she’s got,” Ada comments.

“As alright as any carpenter in Austin,” Joel sounds self-effacing.

“Listen, this might be unprofessional or forward and you can tell me to go-to, but I’d like to take you out for a beer,” Ada says over her shoulder, not taking her eyes off the otter interaction below them.

“You always stay late to seek out vulnerable single dads?” Joel counters wryly, leaning an elbow on the railing and facing her.

“Well…liability, honestly. And no. No I do not,” she smiles.

“Hand over your phone, then,” Joel demands. Ada looks at him in surprise until he raises an eyebrow and she gets it.

He keys in his number with one hand, saving it under Joel (Aquarium). Low expectations. Ada watches him move and wishes she’d just asked him home with her, tonight, now. He was wearing this waffly green henley shirt, showing just enough of his chest and rolled to the elbows, leaving his defined forearms on display.

When she accepts her phone back, she raises it and sends him a text.

Ada. (Bothers attractive dads at work.)

Joel snorts as he saves her contact. Touché.

“Daddy!” Sarah shouts from below. She’s holding hands with an otter, somehow, and Joel snaps a picture, giving her a thumbs up.

Once the otter naturally lets go of her, drifting back over the still water, Kat took up her hand and started leading Sarah back towards the exhibit’s entrance. Sarah called out the names of each otter, politely bidding her goodbyes to each.

“She’s adorable,” Ada comments.

“She’s a good kid. Surprises me constantly,” Joel takes Sarah’s small hand from Kat. “Go on to the gift shop baby girl, I’ll be right there.”

Joel shakes Kat’s hand, smiling awkwardly when he realizes it’s wet with algae-slippery water, and all three adults apologize over each other.

“This was kind as hell of you. Thank you,” Joel states politely. “You’ll have to come on over for dinner with José when y’all can again,” he offers.

“Not a worry. Though you might have one hell of a college marine biology bill on your hands one day,” Kat warns. Seeing Sarah wandering in the gift ship, lingering by the otter display, Kat follows her. When she’s out of earshot (set up behind the register to play-act a purchase with Sarah, who can take whatever she wants), Joel turns to Ada.

“Listen, I’m not workin’ tomorrow night and Sarah’s headed over to her uncle’s,” Joel says, making a mental note to call Tommy and tell him he’s babysitting tomorrow.

“Try out that brewery on Sixth Street?” Ada suggests. Joel sighs internal relief that she suggested a brewery, flashing to Sarah’s mother’s frustration with his confusion at her preferred aperitifs and tasting menus.

“Lazarus, huh?”

“Yeah, nice big patio,” Ada scuffs her steel toes together.

“Six?”

“Perfect. Meet you there?”

“Mmm,” Joel acknowledges, nervous. He cracks an awkward smile, kicking himself. Where did his charm flee to? This used to be very easy for him.

Ada bites her lower lip at it. He’s hot, he’s the only man she’s met who isn’t fully sure of himself or covering for it with bombast in a while. No jokes about her being a pushy woman for asking him instead of laying herself out like prey and hoping he’d catch on. Just soft suggestions and a warm smile atop a body she can’t stop taking in as he turns to reunite with Sarah. 

\--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is being updated & will live up to its rating! Pardon my substantial dust. Honestly, I write stupid-out-of-order and Tess got there first. Sorry, Ada.


	2. Tess - 2037 - Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ their whole thing sure is something~

Tess went on about his hands. Never idle, all that. Praise for them would pour out of her when they were together. She’d made it known, beginning with their first ill-considered fuck late at night after returning from a run, mouth around his fingers, urging him to touch her in words and gestures.

As they align in the dark tonight, Joel buries his head in her neck, trying not to think about the soldier’s head he slammed into a doorframe until it burst, about two hours earlier. When he’d looked back over his shoulder, he wasn’t able to parse the stare Tess had trained on him. It wasn’t that he wasn’t present now, but sometimes the desperation between them felt enough like the rigid struggle an infected or a soldier put up, and he had to shudder out of the feeling.

Tess was practical for liking his touch so much. His hands kept them safe often, as often as hers in turn. After twenty years of life like this, it was normal to be compelled by pragmatic things. After so much time in this partnership, who did it hurt to make each other feel good? When she stopped being able to answer that question, she’d kissed him bluntly to see if there was anything there.

Tess kisses him like that tonight, pulling Joel towards the bed that was more a nest in the safe house they’d stopped at. Joel gets her off quickly with his left hand once they settle on their knees, fingers crooked inside her and pressure from the heel of his hand on her clit. Simultaneously, he manages his belt and buttons with his right hand, quickly spinning Tess to her knees in front of him. They never lasted long like this—had to be on the move early, anyway. He hadn’t bothered with his shirt.

Joel draws back on his knees and thrusts into her impatiently. It wasn’t the brightest idea to do this, but they both brushed off a reasonable amount of risk-taking in the rest of their activities, so this wasn’t too far out. He spans her hip just below her shirt with his hand, hers flying back to cover it.

Grunting low, he slips his forearm around her chest, arcing her up back towards him and holding her fast. Tess reaches down to touch herself, happy to let him hold her up and pound into her like this. She relishes the feel of calloused fingertips indenting her skin to various depths, loves how he strokes her back with flat palms when he’s trying to stave off coming too soon.

Tess can’t actually ask for it, but she tugs his tense right hand towards her core. Joel had been a quick study the first time, apparently enjoying giving the teasing strokes she asked him for, working up to a hard pressure that made her cry out. Tonight he strikes her lightly instead, and feels her bear down hard around him, mouth falling open in pleasure. Taking care to keep her bowed against him with his left arm, Joel hooks two fingers in her mouth, smirking at the moan it draws out of her. He holds her taut with his thumb secure under her chin; she sucks at his fingers and pulses around him.

Tess can’t move much, but circles her hips to meet his thrusts as he rests back on his heels. Shallow thrusts while seated deep inside her meet with tight, slick circles of her clit. Joel’s fingers in her mouth and grinding out her orgasm is what she loves and never acknowledges when they’re through, but Joel’s observant. That, and he really fucking likes making his partner come at his whim, entirely because of him. Possibly sublimating their daytime disagreements into this, but he wouldn’t admit that with a gun to his head.

Tess shudders bodily in his arms, knees desperately twitching towards one another, resisted by Joel’s strong thighs inside of hers. She sucks his fingers, hard, swallowing noise and pawing at his forearm. Riding him almost involuntarily, Tess sees stars and whimpers through the last of it, too blissed out to hold herself up when Joel pushes her forward. He slams into her, palm fanned between her shoulder blades as she comes down, contentedly spreading her hips wide for him. He’s so physically exhausted that he almost stays inside of her, hazily pulling out as he comes onto himself, one hand still on Tess with a focused expression.

He doesn’t miss intimacy during his smuggling years until he experiences it again years later, and thinks regretfully that maybe a morning in bed wouldn’t’ve killed Tess. Maybe if they’d slept in and not met Marlene they could’ve gotten there, eventually, but she was always dressed and asleep before his sweat cooled.

**Author's Note:**

> Catch me over at [ the ol' tumbs](https://joelmillerthirstqz.tumblr.com/)


End file.
